A monster hit from Jordan Greenway took Boston Bruins forward Elias Lindholm out of action on Thursday night, and now fans will know how long one of their star players will be out. Adam Pellerin of NESN posted on X that "Marco Sturm says Elias Lindholm is having an MRI today but is out for a few weeks."
That's a major blow for the Bruins, given Lindholm's high-octane play so far in 2025-26. Through 13 games, Lindholm has nine points and four goals to go with a whopping 18.2 shooting percentage. Before the injury, Lindholm's numbers put him on pace for between 56 and 57 points and 25 goals across an 82-game schedule.
Lindholm was also putting up a solid 17:42 of average total ice time, and was one of the Bruins' most reliable centers in the face-off circle, recording a 57.5 face-off win percentage, and 131 face-off wins. He also received time on the power play and penalty kill, so he's going to be a hard player to replace.
What was even more amazing about Lindholm's play was that he was posting a Corsi For percentage of just 44.9 at even strength. The low number suggests that Lindholm was making the most of creating scoring chances for himself and for others, as his on-ice shooting percentage was a sound 12.9.
Boston Bruins lost Elias Lindholm at a bad time
Given their overall play this season, Lindholm was one of the last players the Bruins needed to shelve. They're currently 6-7, with 12 points, which puts them at a fringe fourth place in an Atlantic Division that looks dramatically different from what it was back when the Bruins were a dominant team.
The Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators are leading the charge, and talented teams like the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs are bound to find their respective games at some point. So the Bruins needed all the help they could get from players like Lindholm, and losing him for a few weeks will create a major gap in the lineup.
The good news, however, is that players like David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, and Charlie McAvoy have stepped up and are producing solid numbers. But the Bruins are struggling defensively, allowing nearly 30 shots per game.
Further, the goaltending duo of Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo continues to struggle, posting a pedestrian 0.884 save percentage and 3.47 GAA with 0 shutouts. All of that said, the Bruins, who are ranked second in the NHL with 43 goals scored as of Friday, needed all the offensive help they could get. They are going to miss Lindholm.